Capturing Acquired Wisdom, Enabling Healthful Aging, and Building Multinational Partnerships Through Senior Global Health Mentorship.

Abstract

An opportunity to have a substantial impact on multiple challenging societal problems exists in simultaneously addressing the following: (a) the urgent need for sustainable health care; (b) the importance of mentorship in enabling the emergence of new generations of leaders; (c) the essential need for cross-cultural competency1 to address global crises through problem solving across societal boundaries; and (d) options for continued productivity by the increasing number of older people. Sustainable health care needs to build on cancer care, which requires urgent intervention and encompasses noncommunicable and infectious diseases in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and geographically isolated populations in high-income countries (HICs). Capacity building to meet the cancer care gap, which builds sustainable infrastructure for overall health care and economic development, can be done through twinning programs that engage senior health care professionals in meaningful mentoring roles. As the capstone of a career, these professionals thereby create next-generation leaders within LMICs and their own institutions. This article addresses such opportunities available for individuals in the latter part of their careers including postretirement done either as a continuation of their role as career-long mentors or as a new challenge to be met with their lifelong experience. The expanding and branching tree of mentors to mentees enables a career path in global health and geometric growth to fill in the current enormous capacity gap.